UPDATE 1-General Mills makes palm oil pledge

NEW YORK, Sept 22 (Reuters) - General Mills Inc (GIS.N)
committed on Wednesday to buy more of its palm oil from
sustainable sources, the latest salvo in a growing fight
against tropical deforestation.

The maker of Cheerios cereal and Progresso soups said that
by 2015 it aims to buy all of its palm oil from "responsible
and sustainable sources".

Its objective is "to help ensure our purchases are not
associated in any way with deforestation of the world's
rainforests - and to further reinforce the development of
certified sustainable palm oil production practices."

General Mills, which also reported quarterly results on
Wednesday, said its use of palm oil represents about one-tenth
of one percent of world production. [ID:nN2299767]

General Mills is the latest in a list of large firms
including Burger King Holdings Inc BKC.N, Nestle (NESN.VX)
and Unilever (ULVR.L) to scrutinize its suppliers of palm oil,
which largely comes from tropical nations like Indonesia,
Malaysia and Papua New Guinea. The oil is used in a variety of
products ranging from make-up to chocolate.

The palm oil industry is at odds with environmental
conservationists who are concerned about environmental
sustainability and rainforests.[ID:nJAK532190]